As the Internet continues to evolve, so does the availability of useful tools for managing your business online as well as the amount of time you spend in front of your computer. Speaking of time, the following is a brief list of tools offered by Google that my company is now using frequently. Slowing but surely, we’re migrating our operations to take advantage of cloud computing.
Google offers a wide variety of free tools that help small business owners manage documents, photos, blog subscribers and the list goes on:
- Google Docs: Share documents on the web with your associates, clients and business partners. Instead of emailing attachments back and forth, creating multiple versions, share your documents online and everyone can edit the same document (one copy, no more hunting for the latest version).
- Upload from and save documents to your desktop
- Edit anytime, from anywhere
- Pick who can access your documents
- Share changes in real time
- Files are stored securely online and best of all, it is free.
- Feedburner: If you own a blog, you probably want to give your site visitors the opportunity to subscribe so they can automatically receive updates when published. Feedburner is an excellent tool for this purpose.
- Picasa: Fast and easy photo sharing that allows you to organize and edit your digital photos and create online albums to share with business colleagues and clients, as well as your friends and family.
- Blog Search: Keeping track of blog updates and news specific to your industry can be a real challenge. Using “blog search” helps you find news and info from just blogs.
- GOOG-411: Google’s 411 service is free and easy to use. It allows you to find and connect with local businesses using the phone. Just dial: 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411).
What online business management tools do you use on a frequent basis?